Tribute to a Titan

During many of the years that she edited this magazine, Betty Lou Amster wrote a monthly column signed "Bla." But blah could not have been further from the truth about Betty Lou. She was a Tennessee Williams character. Though not a natural beauty, she nevertheless made a significant physical impact. She wore hats long after doing so was fashionable, not only on the street, but at her desk, frequently stopping while out of the office to buy another. She smoked cigarettes - sometimes cigarillos - through a long silver cigarette holder. Her big corner office was always dark; she preferred to keep the lights off except for one dim lamp, and presided over editorial meetings in that office at an antique steamboat captain's table. Smoke swirled. So did the conversation.

Elayne Clift, a writer, journalist and adjunct professor currently living in Vermont, said she taught an online class a couple years ago and vowed never to do it again.Over the last several years, more and more students are taking the same route. More than 100,000 college students in Minnesota are now taking classes online. From 2005 to 2010, the number of Utah public college students taking classes online jumped by about 15,000, according to Utah System of Higher Education Data. And innovators like Henry J. Eyring, BYU-Idaho administrator, and Clayton M. Christensen, Harvard Business professor, authors of the new book, "The Innovative University: Changing the DNA of Higher Education from the Inside Out," say that to be competitive in the future, colleges need to embrace high-quality online courses.Continued online growth in Utah's public higher ed seems inevitable, though. Even Utah's 2020 Higher Ed plan -- to have 66 percent of 25- to 64-year-old Utahns with a post-secondary degree or certificate -- names online programs as one of a few ways to accomplish this. "Online learning is going to remain part of the future of education at all levels and will remain an important way higher education is delivered," said Gary Wixom, Assistant Commissioner for Academic Affairs for the Utah System of Higher Education."I would just be starting my degree in the fall if it weren't an option," Hoyt said. "I am just glad this is available to people like me."A buyer could go from workplace retailer to department retailer, and invest days surveying the types and types of workplace furniture accessible. But to save power, car gasoline, and time, go on-line. A large array of bookcases, desks, comfortable workplace chairs, and file cabinets (even fireproof ones) are just awaiting a cyber space buy.The prices on-line are correct, too! One business provides corner desks, ranging from about a hundred bucks to over two thousand bucks, with sixteen types from which to select. And that is just for corner desks. There are actually dozens of other desks to fulfill one's requirements.

Betty Lou died at 86 on April 24 of this year. This magazine is her legacy.

Author: Oppel, Jim